Revenge porn has to be one of the scariest issues I’ve come across. It starts off as something innocent and grows into an ugly monster. We live in a time where we all take photos of ourselves. Sometimes they are “risque” or “sexy” photos. But hey, we have the right to do that. They’re our bodies and our phones. We should be able to send those photos to our intended parties, i.e, partners, without worrying what will happen in a year or two.

However, nowadays, ex’s feel that it is a-okay to send those photos to all of their friends, post it on social media, and ruin their past partner’s life. Why? Cause you two broke up? Oh, come on.

I cannot fathom why someone would do that. Why would you feel the need to ruin someone’s life? Why would you feel the need to post those photos? What sick joy do you get from that?

Granted, America is a revenge society. We love “getting even.” I mean, from soap operas to network television to HBO, our media loves telling us stories about getting even. We root for the person who didn’t play nice to help the less fortunate. We root for the character that was heartbroken and got back at their mean ex. We eat this revenge shit up. We stand up and declare “no one will use us.”

Now it’s just not couples “getting even.” There are cases where students have taken their teachers’ phones and shared their photos on social media. Yes, students can steal someone’s phone, click on the gallery and share. There are also cases where students use footage from security cameras to show their classmates having sex.

There is a part of me that hopes that the parents of those kids who do revenge porn disown their children or at least spank them; spank them until they can’t sit for weeks. But hey, I can’t tell them how to parent and clearly they have failed, because their children decided to act inappropriately. So, great job!

I know that disowning your child sounds harsh, but revenge porn victims have been known to become depressed, commit suicide, lose their job and their reputation. The “prank” your child pulled actually ended someone’s life. So yeah, you have my full permission to leave your child on the side of the road. Then, you can go “find yourself” on some island or something.

There is hope though. Half of the states have revenge porn laws – remember, they all vary but they are there. You can now complete an online form on Google to ask them to take down your photos. And, they are actually honoring these requests, which is huge! If you took the photo on your phone, you own it. You can use copyright laws for your case. So don’t delete the original – it can help you.

Finally, the most important thing you can do is prevention. Be careful of who you share your photos and videos with. Understand that apps like Snapchat, that claim your photos will be gone in 24 hours, have no security against people that take a screenshot of your photo.

This is the world we live in. Protect yourself from sad little monkeys who think revenge porn is the coolest thing ever. Be safe.

Hugs and Smiles,
Nicole